Story: Joining Viperius
An introduction to the Bewk, and their First Contact with the Salsenes. Written by Eo and Holben. Chapter 1: Broken routine A small, average-looking spacecraft floated in the void of a small, average-looking solar system. It had just come out of FTL-speed, after dropping off a drone near another solar system, where it would start its explorations. It was one of many, as the Bewk often sent something to explore wherever there was something even remotely interesting. Apart from colonised planets, of course. It was part 1 of the Act of the Hiding, that they would not contact another species until someone contacted them. The Act of the Hiding was about to end. Esk-Kete, Lead Deckman of the'' SDVS Alternative'', noted something on the Liaetin (LIght-Acoustic Equivalent Tracking INstrument). There was a second ship, where no ship was meant to be. He turned the radio on, taking a moment to listen in to the radio shell that surrounded his planet. This second ship had probably homed in on that, and was now attempting to locate one of their ships. Whether it was for well-intentioned purposes, or something more sinister, he had no idea. He sent a message to Dek: Unidentified ship located. Coordinates being sent. Awaiting contact from unidentified ship. Now that the situation was beginning to sink in, Kete was becoming more nervous. Well, at least I know they're there, he thought. The only thing more frightening than the sight of a beast is the absence of the sight of a beast. He looked at the communication screen, projected below the main feed, awaiting for anything to show up on the monitor. Chapter 2: Standard procedure A medium-sized, specially kitted spacecraft floated in the void of a small but interesting solar system. It had been cruising in sublight for a while now, doing nothing but scanning the planets below. This was the only Salsene ship in this sector, sent out specifically to study this star and its satellites. If there were any other sapient species here- great! The more the merrier. First Contact protocols remained the same as ever. There was a radio shell around this planet, but the Salsenes were blissfully unaware of it. They didn't actually know that their radio receivers were all down, or that a saboteur was on board their ship, but they did detect a foreign spaceship. In the CIC, there was a sudden burst of activity. The captain, Jando Sallet, grinned. "Open projection! First Contact time!" The age of promotions for contacts had passed- demonstrated partially by the presence of Zyrothans and Atrenids on board the Salsene ship. Cultural exchange was well underway, and the modern Salsenes were very different from those who had first left for the stars. The image of a strange creature appeared. "Greetings! I am Jando, captain of the Salsene Grand Fleet Ship Illuminatrix. We come in peace." Chapter 3: First interactions Keke flinched slightly at the sudden appearance of... something on the screen. It was completely unlike anything he'd seen before. It stood with its body facing the same direction as its legs, and its arms were where its front legs would be if it was a Bewk. It didn't even have any middle limbs. After taking in this strange creature, Keke spoke in reply. "Greetings. I am Esk-Kete Lead Deckman of the SDVS Alternative, and we welcome you to Dek and the Aur system." If it was talking in a civil manner, then he might as well be civil to the alien back. He blinked, his two iris-less pupils disappearing for a second in the eyelids and then becoming visible again. Chapter 4: Learned by experience Jando mulled over the alien for a moment. Its limb format was definitely unusual, and not something he had seen before. But there were so many unusual sapients, and novelty had stopped being as notable. "Thank you for your kindness. We anticipate peaceful and profitable relations in the future." He cleared his throat and then looked back up at the screen. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Keke slightly opened and closed his jaws, in the equivalent of a nod. "If any of our kind happen to have xenophobic reactions, we apologise," he explained. "Our first glimpse into the galaxy's sophonts, though, happened to be of a warzone. One of our drones landed..." He took out a video map from a draw, and fiddled with it for a few seconds. He then showed it. "Here," he finished, gesturing at the location that had been highlighted. He then realised he'd completely forgot about something. "I forgot to introduce my species. We are Bewks," he said. "We are a carnivorous species, descended from small arboreal carnivores, that came down from the trees after an extinction event happened around 20 mya." ---- "Ah yes. We are the Salsenes, from the planet Ishtar. That world is dead now, though. We evolved from amphibians, as you can probably see." Jando narrows his eyes at the screen, to see the video map better. "Ah, Bellus. The centre of our conflicts with the Kerarans." ---- The Bewk nodded. "I have no idea what an amphibian is, or a Keraran either, but I'm presuming that an amphibian is a bipedal type of animal and a Keraran is bad news." Keke said nothing for a few seconds, then continued, "Is there anything else that we need to do in first contact?" ---- "Oh, an amphibian is an animal that is at home in both the water and on land. You're right about Kerarans- they are an advanced race from another galaxy who seek only to conquer and kill." He thinks for a moment. "Standard procedure would have us go to your ship, or vice versa." ---- Keke thought about that for a second. "Are you sure ship-crossing would be a good idea?" he asked. "Body language may not work as well as planned. For example, our kind will often hit people they've met with their tails if they decide that they're friendly enough. Children with pets often learn that it doesn't work with other species through the hard way." ---- "Tail-hitting, hm. Given the size of your species, that could be very hazardous. Could that be.... reined in?" ---- Category:Fiction Category:Serial Fiction